PO's, ya gotta love 'em!

[wholberg]

I mean, who else can make do without the right parts, tools or experience and get something to work, at least for a little while?

Case in Point:

I pulled the driver's door panel to replace a doorlock actuator, no problems there. While in there, I planned to replace the old speakers with a new Infinity component system, and while doing so, was truly impressed the the creativity of the stereo installer, whoever it was.

Note the use of custom trimmed adhesive fasteners (duct tape) to keep the wires out of the window path.



And truly ingenious, flexible adhesive for mounting and waterproofing at least two of the terminals.



Not one to let the loss of the passenger crossover case deter installation, ingenuity prevailed. Apparently, duct tape also makes a good surface for silicone glue as well.

[wholberg]

Tweeter removal was simplified due to an uncomplicated installation bracket.



And notice how the PO ingeniously mounted the tweeter in a hole in the door panel apparently chewed by mice.



And which Clint Eastwood movie was it that the guy said "Mounting screws? We don' need no stinkin' mounting screws!"



Not to mention the use of 16 guage wire from the amp for the first 3 feet, turning to 18 guage for the rest of the way to the crossovers, and 10 guage connections from the x-over to the speakers.

Alas, being the unimaginative fellow I am, I will have to install the new speakers in a more traditional manner, and, however boring, re-wire with the same size wire throughout.

I must say, though, digging into this and figuring what the PO did provided me with nearly a full day of entertainment, and I have not even gotten to the rear speakers yet!!

[silverc4s]

Wholeberg,
That's not all that unusual for aftermarket installation of electronics, sadly.

Hopefullly his standards were higher for the mechanical bits. (engine, trans, suspension, brakes, etc..)

[techweenie]

Disturbing.

But not the worst. I've seen a lot of 911s where the entire speaker area was chewed out (metal-munching moon mice?) for larger-diameter speakers.

I don't know about you, but I've fournd P.O.s have a penchant for wood screws with slot heads... last night I laboriously unscrewed a pivoting door pocket from a '72 that was held in by a 2" long wood screw with a destroyed slot. When you have to break the screw loose with a large pair of wire cutters, you know you have a messed-up fastener.

Another place where ingenuity often reigns is the attachment of the door stop to the hinge post.

[silverc4s]

Deleted double post as PP board locked up on me during submission once again...

[bell]

it's **** like that that gives us veteran installers a bad name.........
i take pride in what i do, you should see some of the crap i have to redo in customer cars......usually much worse than what was done in your 911.

[Zeke]

Not about car stereos, but yesterday I removed the front suspension on a car that I am doing a new front suspension pan on a private basis for another owner. Incidetally, this car is the same year and model as mine, so I know it well.

Upon the point where one would remove the t-bar adusters, I found one bolt was a 12 pt. CV bolt? It was a 12pt. something, a little short for a CV bolt. I'm used to seeing the 11mm hex drive version for the adjuster. The other side was a metric Allen bolt. Go figure this one.

But, the coat hanger holding the throttle linkage together where the anti vibration link had failed (old style) on my car was the ingenious trick of the month back a couple of years ago.

[Dantilla]

Obviously, the installer was a genius. Large diameter wire allows for the purest sound from this most excellently installed system. On the other hand, we are concerned with adding unneccessary weight to our nimble little sports car, so a smaller diameter wire is appropriate for weight savings. What to do?

Solution: Best of both worlds. No compromises here. Excellent sound AND light weight!

[Neilk]

hmmm, what happened to my post...

Anyway, my mother also had an '87 M491 Targa.

Her A/C condensor needed replacing a couple of years after moving to Miami. Do you think an alarm brain covering the A/C air intake in the car might have had something to do with it failing?

[wholberg]

Originally posted by silverc4s
Wholeberg,
That's not all that unusual for aftermarket installation of electronics, sadly.

Hopefullly his standards were higher for the mechanical bits. (engine, trans, suspension, brakes, etc..)

All the more reason to do it myself. My only regret is that I had hoped to install the speakers thks weekend, now I will spend another weekend rewiring the entire stereo system and fixing any other "creative solutions" I might encounter. Still, I found the condition of the installation eminently amusing.

So far, no coat hangars in the mechanical areas yet :-)